Chiya followed the Root ninja with the codename "Rooster" through the dense forest.
The chakra beneath his feet clung silently to the tree trunks, each step as light as a cat.
They ran for nearly half an hour.
The trees around them gradually thinned, replaced by a hidden door concealed between rock walls.
"We're here."
Rooster stopped, formed hand signs, and pressed his hands against the rock wall.
Black seals spread out like a spider's web.
Then the rock slowly split open, revealing a deep, dark passage.
Chiya narrowed his eyes. The three-tomoe Sharingan flickered faintly in the darkness, taking in every detail of the surroundings.
This was one of Root's bases.
At the end of the passage was a wide underground hall.
In the dim light, two familiar figures came into view. Danzo leaned on his cane, his single eye watching coldly from across the hall.
"Lord Danzo!"
Danzo waved his hand at the Rooster-coded ninja.
"Yes, sir!"
The Root ninja with the codename Rooster disappeared in a body flicker.
Orochimaru's golden slit pupils narrowed slightly as he looked at Uchiha Chiya. The corner of his mouth curled into a meaningful smile.
"Chiya-kun, what a surprise."
Orochimaru's voice was hoarse and low.
"I didn't expect you to actually walk away alive from Hanzo's battlefield."
Walk away alive?
That was not wrong. Only he had walked away alive.
Chiya's expression did not change. He scanned the two people in front of him.
"Just luck."
Danzo looked at Uchiha Chiya and saw that he did not seem interested in him. He frowned slightly.
"Time is short. Let's get to the point."
He waved his hand, and several Root ninja appeared, quickly unrolling several scrolls and spreading them on the stone table.
These scrolls contained Kumogakure's patrol routes, detailed portraits of its ninja, and even a thorough map of the terrain inside and outside Kumogakure.
"According to reliable intelligence, Kumogakure has already decided to deploy its Jinchuriki in the war.
I called you here today to carry out an operation targeting the Jinchuriki.
As long as the Jinchuriki can be killed, it will effectively stop Kumogakure from taking part in this war."
Danzo looked toward Chiya.
"Understood. I heard from your subordinate."
Danzo withdrew his gaze and spoke in a heavy voice.
"The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Fukai, has a violent temper. Though he is not openly excluded within the village, he is still isolated because of his Jinchuriki status. He has no friends. Growing up in a long and dark period of loneliness has inevitably weakened his will.
The Sharingan genjutsu of your Uchiha clan will have a purpose here."
Chiya's gaze swept over the map, and something stirred in his heart.
The Jinchuriki's situation was close to what he had imagined.
"So, your mission is..."
A flash of cold passed through Danzo's single eye. He paused, then spoke.
"Infiltrate Kumogakure, locate the Jinchuriki's position.
Use the Sharingan's genjutsu to briefly take control of him, break the seal technique on his body, and separate Fukai from the Eight-Tails inside him, using the Tailed Beast's uncontrolled rampage."
"This way, the Jinchuriki will die, and the Tailed Beast's rampage can also be used to strike a blow against Kumogakure's morale."
"Oh?"
Orochimaru licked his lips, a flash of excitement passing through his eyes.
"An interesting mission."
Danzo paid no attention to his reaction and continued.
"Yakushi Nono has been embedded in Kumogakure for many years. He will serve as your inside contact.
But remember, this operation must remain covert. Once exposed, Konoha will not acknowledge your identities."
Chiya gave a slight nod, his mind already turning things over.
Yakushi Nono?
The adoptive mother of the future Yakushi Kabuto, and one of Root's finest spies.
Danzo took two pitch-black sealed scrolls from his sleeve and handed one each to Chiya and Orochimaru.
"These are my Baku summoning scrolls. Do not use them unless there is absolutely no other option."
A summoning beast?
It seems Danzo had truly invested heavily in this operation.
If he remembered correctly, the Baku was one of Danzo's major trump cards.
"When do we leave?"
Chiya asked.
"Now."
Danzo said coldly.
"Kumogakure's patrol teams rotate every three days. Today is the best opportunity to infiltrate."
Orochimaru let out a low laugh.
"Eager as ever."
Chiya said nothing more, and tucked the scroll into his ninja tool pouch.
The night was deep. Two figures moved silently through the forest, heading in the direction of Kumogakure.
Orochimaru glanced sideways at Chiya, his golden slit pupils gleaming with curiosity.
"Chiya-kun, I'm quite curious..."
"How did you survive against Hanzo?"
Chiya kept moving, his voice flat.
"Luck."
"Heh heh..."
Orochimaru's laugh carried a note of amusement.
"The kind of luck that lets you escape from a 'demi-god' is truly rare."
Chiya did not answer.
"At this pace, we may not make it there tonight."
Chiya looked over.
"What do you mean?"
Orochimaru smiled. He suddenly stopped. Seeing this, Chiya stopped as well.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Orochimaru bit his finger and pressed it onto the scroll in his hand.
A summoning circle appeared on the ground.
With a boom.
Two massive earth-colored serpents appeared before them.
Orochimaru bent his knees and leaped directly onto the head of one of the great snakes.
"These will do just fine."
Chiya blinked, staring at the snake whose head was at least two meters wide. He channeled chakra to his feet.
He followed his lead and jumped onto the snake's head.
The great snake beneath his feet immediately surged forward at high speed.
"With these summoned beasts, the pace will be much faster."
Orochimaru's long hair was swept up by the wind, yet he still turned his head toward Chiya and explained with a smile.
"If Chiya-kun has need of a summoned beast, I happen to have a few more scrolls."
"No need."
Chiya knew Orochimaru was not someone to be trusted. Everything he gave out came with a price in return.
Although he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and now had his own confidence and strength, someone like Orochimaru was still not someone he wanted to deal with any more than necessary.
"What a shame."
A trace of regret flashed across Orochimaru's androgynous face.
The rest of the journey passed without conversation.
After several hours of rapid travel, Chiya and Orochimaru finally reached the outer perimeter of Kumogakure.
This place was completely different from Konoha.
Konoha was nestled in a lush, green forest, where sunlight filtered through the leaves, warm and peaceful.
Kumogakure, by contrast, was an iron fortress built upon steep mountain peaks.
Towering black rock walls rose as sharply as if cut by a blade. Through the swirling mist, massive steel structures embedded into the mountainside were faintly visible. Lightning crashed down from the cloud layer from time to time, bursting into blinding blue-white flashes above the village.
The entire village felt like a great beast crouching within the thunderclouds, radiating a heavy, oppressive presence.
"What a... unpleasant environment."
Orochimaru narrowed his golden slit pupils and murmured.
Chiya did not respond. He quietly observed the defensive layout of Kumogakure.
The Kumo-nin on patrol moved in groups of three, spaced tightly with almost no blind spots.
'It looks like some special methods will be needed.'
Orochimaru licked his lips. A small black snake slipped out from his sleeve and disappeared silently into the ground.
Shortly after, a faint rustling sound came from the distant treeline.
A slender figure appeared quietly.
The newcomer looked to be about the same age as Chiya. She wore a Kumogakure forehead protector and had golden hair tied back in a neat ponytail. Her features were delicate and her frame was tall, but her eyes carried the cold, detached quality unique to Root operatives.
However, as she drew closer, Chiya noticed with sharp attention that when the woman's gaze passed over him, it softened for just a brief moment.
Yakushi Nono.
This was Yakushi Nono?
The one called "The Wandering Priestess"?
In the original story, her ending had been quite tragic.
The photo of her adopted son was swapped out, and she was ultimately set up to die at the hands of that very son.
Yakushi Nono.
It was truly a pity for someone like her to die.
Maybe...
[Triggered Mission: Intercept Yakushi Nono. Reward: Mastery of Medical Ninjutsu.]
Hm?
A mission has triggered?
Chiya blinked, then understood immediately. His gaze fell again on Yakushi Nono.